What is Sustainable Farms & Fields?

Sustainable Farms and Fields (SFF) is a grant program that makes it easier and more affordable for farmers and ranchers to implement climate-smart practices and projects that increase carbon sequestration and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Through SFF, farmers and ranchers may receive free services — such as on-farm consultations, climate-smart farm plans, and other technical expertise — and financial assistance to help cover the cost of eligible projects, equipment, seeds for cover crops, and other expenses.

Jump to Climate-Smart Livestock

Eligibility

Conservation districts; state agencies; colleges, universities, extension offices; federally recognized tribes; counties, cities, towns, and other municipalities; and special purpose districts.

Forms & Links

The funding window for FY26 is closed.

We received a high number of applications during the funding window that closed on June 24, 2025. Because of this, we do not expect to reopen the application window until next fiscal year.

News:

About this Conservation Program

Background

The Washington State Legislature created SFF in 2020. It provided seed funding for the Conservation Commission to design the program framework in partnership with the Washington State Department of Agriculture, Washington State University, and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Download program fact sheets in English and Spanish.

SFF is part of the Washington Soil Health Initiative (WaSHI)

Washington Soil Health Initiative

The Washington Soil Health Initiative (WaSHI) is a partnership between the Washington State Conservation Commission, the Washington State Department of Agriculture, and Washington State University.

WaSHI establishes a coordinated approach to promoting healthy soils in Washington through research, outreach and education, and funding opportunities throughout Washington’s diverse regions and cropping systems.

Learn more about WaSHI:

Examples of potential grant-eligible activities include:

  • Providing personalized and on-site technical expertise, such as developing climate-smart farm plans.
  • Sharing the cost of climate-smart practices/projects, such as planting trees/shrubs, implementing no-till/direct seed, managing manure storage and application, planting cover crops, composting/mulching, and purchasing precision agriculture equipment/technology.
  • Purchasing seed, spores, animal feed, and soil amendments.
  • Purchasing shared-use equipment (e.g., no-till planter) that will be made available through local entities, such as conservation districts or farm co-ops.
  • Demonstration projects showcasing a practice eligible through SFF that is not commonly used in an area and must include a substantial outreach component OR demonstration projects used to gather more information about the feasibility and impact of a practice that is not yet eligible but shows promise as a climate-smart practice.

SFF in the News

Additional Resources & Information:

Questions about the Sustainable Farms and Fields Program? Please contact the SFF Team at sff@scc.wa.gov.

Sustainable Farms & Fields Climate-Smart Livestock

Background

One-time funding of $30,000,000 from the Climate Investment Account was appropriated for the 2023-25 biennium to the Washington State Conservation Commission Sustainable Farms and Fields program for organic agricultural waste and greenhouse gas emissions reduction through climate-smart livestock management. View the proviso.

This one-time funding resulted in two new grant opportunities during the 2023-25 biennium.

  • Alternative Manure Management
  • Research and Demonstration

Dairy Anaerobic Digesters has moved to the Department of Commerce (see the Dairy Anaerobic Digesters section below for more information).

‍Alternative Manure Management Funding

The funding's objective is to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with manure handling systems from baseline levels at dairy and livestock farms in Washington through grants to conservation districts and other public entities for project implementation.

This funding is open to conservation districts and other public entities only. Interested producers should contact their CD, WSU Extension Office, or local climate-smart government program.

Projects must occur on livestock operations where manure is stored in anaerobic (liquid)form and may include multiple components of a manure handling system, associated upstream and downstream components needed to accommodate the change to the manure management system, including transporting manure for eventual field application.

$2,900,000 in funding was reappropriated in the 2025-2027 biennium to support alternative manure management activities. This funding is from the Climate Commitment Account. SCC expects to announce an application round for this funding in summer 2025— stay tuned!

CARB AMMP Tool

Applicants for SFF Alternative Manure Management are asked to use the CARB AMMP Tool modified for Washington to estimate greenhouse gas emissions reductions for their projects, where possible. SFF Program Manager, Karen Hills, walks through how to use the tool in a webinar from 2024. Please scroll to the bottom of this page to view it.

Updates

This opportunity is supported with funding from Washington’s Climate Commitment Act. The CCA puts cap-and-invest dollars to work reducing climate pollution, creating jobs, and improving public health. Information about the CCA is available at www.climate.wa.gov.

Funding & How to Apply

Funding For FY26 (Sustainable Farms & Fields)

We received a high number of applications during the funding window that closed on June 24, 2025, and do not expect to reopen the application window until next fiscal year.

Questions about the Sustainable Farms and Fields Program? Please contact the SFF Team at sff@scc.wa.gov.

Files & Publications

Check out these files to learn more about the SFF program.

File Name
Summary

Webinars

Find videos and trainings from this program.

Sustainable Farms and Fields Q&A Webinar
February 6, 2024
This round of SFF funding is focused on livestock and manure management projects only.
Sustainable Farms and Fields: CARB AAMP Tool Webinar
March 5, 2024
Learn how to use CARB AMMP Tool modified for Washington.
SFF Updated Guidelines Webinar - 2025
June 3, 2025
Sustainable Farms & Fields Program Manager Karen Hills provides an overview of recent updates to the SFF program guidelines, followed by a Q&A session.

Success Stories from this Grant Program

Skagit Conservation District

A Hands-On Approach to Soil Health

SoilCon Field Day offers hands-on soil health education, featuring a biochar kiln that turns waste wood into soil-enhancing biochar.

Full Story
Lewis Conservation District

No-till Drill Rental

Making sustainable farming easier for community members Lewis Conservation District has setup no-till drill rental program.

Full Story